By P.T. Bopanna
The recent classical music recital by Sivasri Skandaprasad, wife of Lok Sabha member Tejasvi Surya has unleased tremors in the minority Kodava (Coorg) community hailing from Kodagu (Coorg) district in Karnataka.
Sivasri, who had accompanied her husband for a book release function at the Bangalore Kodava Samaja in Vasanthnagar, had given a Carnatic music recital.
The concert has divided the Kodava community vertically with one group supported by the sympathisers of the saffron brigade, and the other group comprising mainly those opposed to Kodava Samaja being converted into a Sangh Parivar entity.
In between the fighting groups, I have been caught in the crossfire, while trying to uphold the spirit of ‘Kodavame’ (Kodava way of life).
Even as fighting rages between the two groups, sympathisers of the saffron group have come out with an ‘edited’ video of the function. Unlike the first video which was released immediately after the function where Sivasri was the focus, in the latest video, Sivasri has been ‘marginalised’ with mostly Kodava conent with deafening Valaga (Kodava music) to drive home the point that it was not a Sanatana programme, but a Kodava function.
In recent years, Kodava Samaja has come under a cloud for promoting Brahminical culture, instead of Kodava tribal culture.
In 2020, the Bangalore Kodava Samaja, located at Vasanthnagar, organised a ‘homa’, a public fire ritual, performed by Brahmin priests. Thereby, the Samaja, considered as the ‘ainmane’ of the Kodava community living in Bangalore, deviated from Kodava religious faith – a tribal faith which does not include any Vedic practices like ‘homa’.
According to a report published in a Kodava weekly, Sudarshan homa, Ganapathi homa and Navagraha homa were performed to mark the birth of river Cauvery on October 18, and were attended by the president and office-bearers of the Bangalore Kodava Samaja. The holding of several homas on the day of the Kaveri Sankramana, has vitiated the significance of the Sankramana festival.
The basic flaw in those trying to usher in Brahminical practices, are not aware that Kodavas are not part of Sanatana Dharma.
In the accompanying cartoon by Nala Ponnappa, the word ‘Bolla’ means boss in Kodava Thakk (Kodava language).
For more, follow the link below:
